Traditionally, Thais use fish sauce ("nam pla") to season dishes. This brown, pungent, vibrant liquid has the consistency of water and is made from fermented fish. Just as olive oil in the West is produced in a wide spectrum of qualities, many differing classes of fish sauce are available, graded according to the ingredients used (fresh or dried fish, the type of fish etc) and the duration of fermentation. Rapidly fermented fish sauce retains a fishy flavour, whilst longer periods of fermentation can lend the sauce a nutty aroma with only a very delicate evocation of fish.  A small dish, pot or jar of this, usually infused with  finely sliced, fresh bird pepper chillies is a uniquitous sight throughout Thailand.

It is believed that fish sauce first appeared in China, gradually evolving with the addition of soy beans to become the fermented bean sauce that we now call soy sauce.  For those unfamiliar with fish sauce, and who clam up at the very thought of seasoning their dishes with this liquour, it may come as a surprise to learn that Worcestershire sauce is part of the same family, made with  fermented anchovies! Indeed, this seasoning has a long history in the west, dating back to the Romans who used anchovies, tuna, mackerel or eel mixed with vinegar or honey to form a perfumed condiment.

Both for variety and to better enhance certain dishes, salt may be used instead of fish sauce to season Thai and Isaan cooking. At Gecko Villa, we find that industrially produced,iodized salt lacks any depth when used in Thai food, and we consistently prefer to use our "home grown" rock salt, ingeniously distilled from the earth in certain special locations near the Thai villa. The salt rich areas are known to the local villagers, who dig deep into the soil, then wash this through wooden channels with fresh water into a large metal pot set over a fire. After a considerable period of time, the finished prodcut emerges: large, crunchy white flakes of rich salt that add zest to any dish they are sprinkled upon, be this Thai or western.